Falling turnout among young voters prompted the voting age review

A lower voting age would encourage more young people to become involved in politics, he told the Observer paper.

It follows comments from Tony Blair last week that he was "undecided" about the voting age, suggesting he was no longer opposed to lowering it.

The Electoral Commission is due to report on changes to the voting age in the New Year.

In the interview, Lord Falconer, who is also Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs, said: "One might well be able to give teenagers the vote at 16 rather than 18. We need to have a debate about that."

There is obviously a case for saying: 'Look, people grow up a lot more quickly... so why shouldn't you be able to vote?' Tony Blair Blair 'undecided' over voting age

"I think it is a very important issue. We expect more and more of people in relation to personal participation. We expect more and more in terms of social responsibility, in my view rightly, from people, particularly young people.

"If we want to both engage young people and make them discharge their responsibilities then I think there's got to be a quid pro quo of letting them see greater influence in the political process."

The Electoral Commission, which advises ministers on how elections can be modernised, began consulting on the voting age in the summer following concern over falling turnouts among young voters.

At present a 16 year old can get married and join the army, but he or she cannot vote in elections and has to wait until reaching the aged of 21 to stand as a candidate.

At the general election in 2001, only 39% of 18-24 year olds bothered to vote, according to the pollsters MORI.

Blair 'undecided'

That coincided with a survey by the British Household Panel that suggested nearly 30% of 15-17 year olds said they were either very interested or fairly interested in politics - higher than the equivalent figure for 18-20 year olds.

Last week Mr Blair told an invited audience of young people at Downing Street that he had no strict view about the way forward.

"On voting at 16 I'm undecided myself," he said.

"If you'd have asked me two or three years ago I'd have said: 'no'.

"Now I'm not sure about the arguments ... There is obviously a case for saying: 'Look, people grow up a lot more quickly - there's many things you can do at the age of 16 - so why shouldn't you be able to vote?'"

Consultation

When the consultation began in the summer, Electoral Commissioner Glyn Mathias urged people who were not normally interested in politics to get involved before it closed on 31 October.

The commission sought views from people attending party political conferences, the annual sitting of the UK Youth Parliament and youth interest groups.

The review came after the commission found that just 16% of voters aged under-25 voted in May's elections to the Welsh assembly.

Not only did under-25s fail to vote in significant numbers, but only 21% of the next age group, 25-to-34 year olds, exercised their democratic rights.

'Trite'

Liberal Democrat youth spokesman Matthew Green backed changing the voting age to 16.

"Denying 16-year-olds the vote because some consider them politically immature is trite nonsense," he said.

"If 16-year-olds can marry, have children of their own, pay taxes and join the Army, why should they not be able to vote for the government they want."

But Tory shadow cabinet member David Willetts was cautious over the idea.

He told Sky News: "I personally think that 18 has been a reasonable age - I don't particularly see any need to lower it.